Automobile radiator-protector.



W. STEIN.

AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR PROTECTOR.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB- 20, 1914. 1,165,461, 1 Patented Dec. 26, 1915.

2 SHEETS*SHEET I.

I i 3 0 10 R 2 13;? MW: MM/BW: 27 (2/. WILL /AM 6 7"//v W. STEIN.

AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR PROTECTOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1914.

1,165,461. Patented Dec.28,1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

'D STATES WILLIAM STEIN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR-PROTECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

Application filed February 20, 1914. Serial No. 819,974.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM STEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have inwhile the vehicle is standing idle or is in use, thus preventing freezing of the water within the radiator while the same'is exposed to a low temperature, facilitating the starting of the engine by keeping the radiator and engine warm while the engine is not operating, and, furthermore, facilitating the operation of the engine by providing a means for regulating and controlling the passage of cold air to the engine and radiator of the vehicle.

It is well known that in automobiles,when

, exposed in cold weather, the engines become excessively cool and fail to give eflicient service because of the uncontrolled rush of cold air from without to the engines, and, furthermore, when automobiles are left standing out of doors or elsewhere exposed to low temperature the water in the radiators may freeze thus causing the radiators to burst, or the engines when not operating may become so cold as to. require numerous crankings at great expense of wear and tear .on automatic starters or at great expense of labor on the part ofdrivers starting the engine by hand-operated cranks, with the additional unsatisfactory result that the engines even after having been started will not operate properly until they have been warmed up by running, which in 'cold weather is often long delayed vbecause of the uncontrolled rush of cold air through the radiators'to the engines and which, therefore, interferes with the efliciency of the engines.

The present invention provides an economical and easily attached means, adjustable from the drivers seat of an automobile, to prevent the water in the radiator from freezing, to prevent at all times the engine from becoming excessively 'cool, and thus tending to maintain conditions favorable to efiicient service from the engine.

By the present invention, it is possible to start the engine with the curtain-shield extended to,c0ver the front of the radiator, and as the engine becomes heated, to gradually lower the curtain shield by degrees, from the drivers seat without necessitating the stopping of the'automobile and alighting therefrom.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts Wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a radiator and part of a chassis of an automobile equipped with a form of this automobile radiator protector showing a means for operating same and a preferred mode of attaching it to the chassis; Fig. 2 is a view from the rear of a portion of the spring roller of this invention with a portion of the radiator protecting means partially unrolled therefrom, the casing inclosing the roller, and means for detachably securing one end of said casing by a bracket and set screw to the chassis of an automobile; Fig. 3 is an end view of the casing, the bracket attaching means, and a portion of the pro tecting shield partially unrolled from the roller contained in said casing; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line M, Fig. 1, showing a preferred form of the means for passing the flexible member for raising and lowering the radiator protector through the radiator toward the dashboard of an automobile; Fig. 5 is a side "view-of a preferred .form of means for supporting the flexible member relative to the dashboard, the latter being shown in section; Fig. 6 isa view of parts of an automobile similar to-those shown in Fig. 1 illustrating an alternate form of means for passing the flexible memberv attached to the radiator protector to the drivers seat of the automobile; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7, Fig. 6; and Fig. 8-is a plan view looking at the side of a fragment of an automobile equipped with a radiator protector embodying this invention and showing the relation-of the drivers seat to parts of said protector.

The spring-roller .1, which is of the usual construction used for window curtains except that they locking dogs are omitted, op-

.- through a'lugll of the member 9. The

-' of any serviceable material, and is. attached to the roller 1". The roller 1 is: under con- I vstant tension of it's spring 7 tending to pull erates within and protected by a casing 2,

fwhich may be of any desired shape or construction, but in the drawings s shown of semi-cylindrical shape or approximating semiecylindrical shape, said'casing- 2 having an open back turned toward theradiator 3 through which open back the radiator protector passes as it rolls and'unrolls upon the roller 1., The roller 1 is preferably hung 110 within the casing 2' (as shown in Fig. 2) by means of a'nipple 5 attached to-the center- [off each end face of the roller lfor made 9 part thereof and which nipple 5' is inserted F into aqpl'ate 6 attached to or made part of 1.5

each inside end of the casing 2, each plate 6 having a-suitable means for re'ceivingthe f" nipple and'affording bearing points therefor f upon which the roller 1 revolves under ten- Sion of the spring 7. The'cas ing 2 is preferably detachably secured to. the chassis 8 of the automobile by means ofa member 9,

j consisting of a bracket or similar device ata tached to the casing 2 at each end thereof by 'means of screws, bolts, or rivets 10, the memher: 9 being constructed with projecting parallel lugs'll forming a slot 12 fitting upon the flange' bf the chassis 8, the member and the attached casing 2 being firmly held inplaceupon the-flange ofthe chassis 8 by means of the set-screw 13 passing I casing 2 must be located in front of the front wall of the radiator and on a line lower than 'it's bottom,but the means for attaching the "same to the chassis may be varied. The radiator protecting 'Shlld 4' is preferably a Y 'curtainfmade of leather, canvas, oil'cloth,

rubber, cravenette material treated with rubber, asbestos, or thelike, or of some similar stout fiexiblematerial, but may be the shield 4 attached to the roller downward and to roll it upon the roller l, .which tend 'ency is. opposed or resisted through theflexible member 14 by means contr olled by the driver from his seat in the automobile. The flexible member 14 is preferably of twine, cord, rope,'wire, or aleatherthong,

but may be of any other suitable material,

and is attached at one end to the-shield 4- by means of a' member 15,:which' member 15 may be a screw eyelet, a staple, or some other suitable attaching device,and said flexible member'14-1s preferably passed through the radiator 3"b v being carried through a tube or inclosed channel 16 (Fig. 1 and Fig. 4)-

i inserted through the radiator 3 for that purpose, said'tubeor inclosed channel 16 being inserted throu h the radiator casing 17 near the top thereof and extending fromthe fr on,t. face of said radiator casing 17, flush there;

with or slightly beyond it, rearwardly, termmating flush with or slightly beyond the back of the radiator casing 17 opposite the face thereof. The tube or inclosed channel '16 serves the purpose of providing a conduit for the flexible member 14 through the radiator 3 while protecting the flexible member 14 from the Water'in the radiator,

and the tube or inclosed channel 16 isso constructed and fitted into the radiator casing 17 and the radiator 3 that the water in the radiator will not leak out of the radiator 3 at the'points where the tube or inclosed channel 16 enters or leaves the radiator 3. through the necessary perforations therefor in t e radiator casing 17 or at any point along the length of thetube orvinclosed channel 16 within the radiator 3. Upon leaving the tube or inclosed channel 16 rearwardly, of the radiator'3, the

flexible member 14 passes through the space underneathand near the top'ofthe enginehood18, thence throughthe dashboard 20 to, any desired point inside the vehicle easily accessible to the drivers seat.. To facilitate the ',operation of the flexible member 14 a "pulley19 (Fig. 4) is attached in or. t the r tube or inclosedchannel 16at or near the ferward outlet thereof and a pulley 21 sup} ported by a bracket 22 (Fig. 5) is. fastened upon the inside of the dashboard 20 at or' near the point where the flexible member 14 passes beyond the dashboard'20 within reach of the driver of the automobile'. When the' I flexible member 14 lies in" the grooveof the pulley 21 the pulley 21 will revolve and the flexible member 14 may runfreely upon it,

pulley supporting bracket 22. flexible member 14 is caught,

100 but when the driver so' desires he may snap for the pulley 21,. and forwedgingor point in its-length any suitable device such, V for instance, as a bracket with a slot, catch- ,ing a knot in the fiexible meinber, 14, or a.

hook about-which the'flex'ible member 14.

may be looped or turned, or the like, may be the pulley-21, or eitherbfithem, may be omitted. Fig. '6' and Fig- 7 of'the flexible 'mentber 14, wherein, instead of pass ng said flexible-member 14 through the radiator 3 thence through the space underneath the enginehood to. the driv'ers j 126 the radiator 3 by means of a guiding member 23, preferably aI'pulley, thence over the seat, the'flexible member 14 is'passed over engine'liood and through the dashboard 20 of the accompanying drawings show an alternate arrangement (Fig. 5.). Inthis alternate arrangement a pulley 21 (Fig. 5) is, also, preferably'used,

sis

116 substituted. More'0ver,,-the"pull'ey 19 and but any other suitable clamping, wedging,

jamming, or holding means accessible to the drlver from his seatin the vehicle may be substituted.

The operation of this invention is as follows: The driver of the automobile may from his seat in the vehicle, raise the shield 4 to a position partially or entirely covering the front of the radiator 3 by pulling the flexible member 14 toward himself, and, by wedging 'or clamping said flexible member 14 upon the pulley 21, as hereinabove described, the shield 4 is fixed at any desired elevation in front of the radiator 3 to control the flow of cold air from without to the radiator and engine or to exclude the air entirely, or thus the escape of warm air from within the radiator and the engine hood may be retarded. The shield 4 may be lowered by the driver from his seat in the A vehicle by paying out the flexible member withdrawn position by fastening or wedg 14, so as to allow the shield 4 to retract entirely and permitting it to be rolled upon the'roller 1, thus exposing the. full area of the face of the radiator 3, or the shield 4 may be allowed partially to withdraw and permitted partially to roll up upon the roller 1, and the shield 4 may be temporarily fixed in such partially or entirely ing the flexible member 14 by means of the pulley 21, as hereinabove described, when suliicient of the length of the flexible member 14 has been paid or run out forwardly from the dashboard so as to lower the shield opposite sides of convenient portions of said chassis, fastening elements passing through the ears and engaging said chassis for retainingthe casing in its normal position, a spring actuated roller journaled in said casing with its outer side. projecting beyond the open side of the casing, a curtain-shield wound upon said roller with its outer side projecting beyond the open end of the casing between saidcasing and the radiator hood, an operating element attached to the adjacent end of the curtain-shield and running to a point within convenient reach of the drivers seat and means mounted upon the radiator hood for guiding said operating element.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my Witnesses:

WALTER G. GUELs, NANCY C. THOMAS.

signature in the presence of two witnesses' 5 WILLIAM STEIN. 

